I absolutely and completely…

I absolutely and completely oppose this bill in its entirety. Putting our water, our communities, our workers, our food source, our ENVIRONMENT at risk like this for the sake of a handful of McJobs is unacceptable. Australia tried it and it doesn't work.

Handing businesses money in the hope they'll reduce their environmental impact is corporate welfare. The citizens of Ontario will foot the bill. Businesses will take the money, do the least possible needed to meet diminished targets, and pocket the rest. This bill gives polluters the green light to pollute our drinking water (Walkerton!) and put lives at risk. Taxpayers will be left to pay for the cleanup of their disastrous messes; we already know that irresponsible companies that are allowed to run wild will declare bankruptcy and disappear to avoid responsibility. The consequences do not disappear - Grassy Narrows made that clear.

Climate change and the protection of biodiversity MUST be the number one focus of the Ontario government - indeed ALL governments. If more can be done, more MUST be done! Opening Ontario's remnants of agricultural land and natural spaces to development is shortsighted; we won't be able to depend on importing food from more southerly regions. Climate change will cause more severe weather and extended draughts in areas from which we currently import food. The water we drink and use to irrigate crops comes from healthy ecosystems.

I urge the provincial government to retract this bill and pursue targets that have already been established.